Monday, October 30, 2017

The biggest piece of the the 2018 Budget, the Tax -Supported Operating Budget, has finally been revealed for all to see. The very general overview of the numbers we're talking about and the increases (and in some cases, decreases) you will see are outlined below.

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Twice-monthly, Guelph Politico posts the latest inspection results from the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health Unit inspection of local restaurants, hotels, cafes, grocery stores and other businesses that handle food. We call it "Mangez!", and this column highlights the latest inspections done by WDGPH, and the results they've posted.

Saturday, October 28, 2017

This month at Committe-of-the-Whole, we hear from the Audit, Public, and Corporate Services portfolios, and we begin part two of the debate to decide the fate of the proposed trail beneath Speedvale Bridge.

Friday, October 27, 2017

If you attended the Mayor's Dialogue on Poverty, or saw it online thru Facebook Live, or listened to the podcast version through Guelph Politicast, the City has shared some follow-up material for you, and anyone else interested in some of the background information Guelph-Wellington Bridges Out of Poverty facilitator and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health nurse Elaine Weir brought to her presentation.

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Budget battles begin as delegates offer their opinions on the 2018 Capital Budget, and the 2018 Non-Tax Supported Budget. You can click here for the agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of tonight's council meeting, you can follow me on Twitter, or follow along below via Storify.

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

There's no doubt that there are people in Guelph of limited means that desperately need help, but for every person that knows what need looks like, there are others that see someone poor and sees someone that just hasn't pulled up their own bootstraps far enough. But seriously, how can someone in the middle class or otherwise upwardly mobile understand the plight of people in poverty?

Monday, October 23, 2017

Before diving into the first meeting on the 2018 budget later this week, there's still the regular business of council to dispatch. You can click here for the agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of tonight's council meeting, you can follow me on Twitter, or follow along below via Storify.

Thursday, October 19, 2017

Tax season officially begins next Thursday with the presentation of the 2018 Non-Tax Supported Operating Budget, the 2018 Capital Budget, and the 2019-2027 Capital Forecast. Take heed, this there will only be a one week break between when this is presented, and when council votes on it.

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

You could cut the giddiness with a knife this afternoon at city hall as the results of the Strategies and Options Committee's search for a potential merger partner with Guelph Hydro has bore fruit. If everything goes according to plan, then Guelph Hydro and Alectra Utilities will merge in the near future, with a completed deal coming before council for a vote in mid-December.

It took six long years to get here, but the day has finally arrived. Welcome, to the 100th episode of the Guelph Politicast! To celebrate this auspicious occasion, I wanted a surprise guest. Someone my dedicated audience might never have expected, but nonetheless would enjoy hearing from. In the end, there was only one person I could think of. For 100 episodes you've heard Guelph speak, well now you'll hear from the guy that does "Guelph Speaks".

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

A little more than 65 months after city council passed the latest update to the Official Plan, OPA 48, it is finally the law that governs the development of the land. The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) approved the City’s Official Plan Amendment (OPA) 48 with some modifications on October 5.

Saturday, October 14, 2017

In a world that is already often dark and disturbing, we rarely like to be reminded of how dark and disturbing it can really be. Guelphites though dared to challenge that darkness Saturday morning by Walking for Freedom, in an event aimed to raise awareness of, and help put a stop to human trafficking.

Friday, October 13, 2017

As you may have heard, electoral reform is a hot button issue in Guelph, which is why when Fair Vote Guelph decided to bring a couple of high-profile federal figures to town to talk about it, a few hundred people were interested in hearing what they had to say. So if you happened to have missed the talk featuring Green Party of Canada leader Elizabeth May and Wellington-Halton Hills MP Michael Chong on Tuesday, this is your chance to hear it. And if you did happen to the be there, this is your chance to hear it again.

Thursday, October 12, 2017

The regular meeting of council this month will be pretty straightforward with the presentation of some survey results, the consent agenda from Committee-of-the-Whole, and a simple real estate transaction for the Humane Society.

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

"Guelph is a green town," declared Elizabeth May. The Green Party of Canada leader meant small 'g', not capital 'G' of course, but if it all goes according to plan, then this time next year, May and her Ontario counterpart, Mike Schreiner, will be able to boast that Guelph is both "green" and "Green".

You had questions, and I had answers. Last week, I put out a request on the various social media lines for your queries about current events at city council and the City of Guelph, and you responded with about a dozen of them. This is where you get your answers.

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

A couple of additions to the heritage file, plus a new mid-rise proposal for Gordon Street are on the agenda for October's planning meeting. You can click here for the agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of tonight's council meeting, you can follow me on Twitter, or follow along below via Storify.

Monday, October 9, 2017

The Church of Scientology is taking over 40 Baker Street as the administrative headquarters for their organization, which has naturally prompted some controversy. In this first monthly investigative Politico feature, we take a look at Scientology in Canada, why they've come to Guelph, and why people are concerned about what they're doing now that they're here.

Friday, October 6, 2017

In a surprise announcement today, Guelph MPP and President of the Treasury Board, Liz Sandals, announced that she will not seek re-election in 2018. "After a summer of discussion with my husband and children, I have made the difficult decision to retire – and so I will not be running in the next provincial election," she said in a statement.

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

It's the most wonderful time of the year... if math is a hobby, or you fetishize your calculator. Yes, the 2018 budget deliberations are about to start at city council, and to put you in a budgeting kind of mood, we go behind the curtain this week to see how the the ones and zeros add up before they make it to the council floor.

Monday, October 2, 2017

Happy October! Let's discuss Governance, Public Services, and Infrastructure, Development & Enterprise. You can click here for the amended agenda from City Hall, and you can click here to read Politico's preview of today's meeting. For the complete blow-by-blow of today's committee meeting, you can follow me on Twitter, or follow along below via Storify.

Sunday, October 1, 2017

At this month's planning meeting, city council will designate two new heritage properties and rejigger some development fees. Oh, and they hope you like the idea of another mid-rise apartment building along Gordon Street...